Method and apparatus for manufacturing pressure sensitive adhesive label stocks with printing under adhesive and product produced thereby

ABSTRACT

A method and apparatus for making adhesive-backed labels. Glassine paper stock is unwound from a roll, coated with photo-cationic silicone and exposed to wavelength-controlled illumination to cure. Hot melt adhesive is applied over the silicone. Simultaneously, label stock is fed with the coated glassine paper to laminating rollers where the two are joined. Illumination is provided by a dichroic reflector.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/008,301 filed on Dec. 9, 2004, now abandoned. The content of the U.S.patent Ser. No. 11/008,301 is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATION

This invention relates to self-adhesive labels and the like and, moreparticularly, to a method and apparatus for efficiently manufacturingpressure sensitive self-adhesive label stock in such a way as to allowprinting on the adhesive side. This application is a divisional of U.S.Ser. No. 10/210,212, filed Aug. 1, 2002 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,852,191, andclaims priority thereto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known in the art to apply printed adhesive-backed labels tocontainers for products such as liquid soap and detergent, shampoo, foodproducts and vitamins to name only a few. Self-adhesive labels aregenerally made in such a way as to require the removal of a “releasepaper” from the adhesive side of the label before it is applied to thecontainer. Removal of the release paper exposes the pressure sensitiveadhesive, permitting the label to be applied to the container. Slightpressure is then applied to create the adhesive bond.

The term “pressure sensitive adhesive,” as used herein, refers to anadhesive which bonds to an application surface as a result of appliedpressure as opposed to the evaporation or absorption of a solvent toform a solid material bond.

Adhesive-backed labels and the like typically comprise the laminatedcombination of a printable face stock, a pressure sensitive adhesive onthe back or reverse side of the face stock, a silicone layer and abacking paper to which the silicone layer is relatively strongly bonded.The face stock can be transparent or opaque. Opaque stock can be printedon both sides while transparent stock can typically only be printed onone side. Double-side printing is desirable where, for example, theprinted label is applied to a transparent container such as a plasticbottle filled with a relatively transparent fluid such as liquid soap ordetergent; i.e., the printing on the back or reverse side of thefinished, applied label can be viewed through the container and theproduct to provide a pleasing effect or additional information about theproduct and/or its manufacturer.

The adhesive which constitutes a layer between the face stock and thesilicone is typically water based and, therefore, requires relativelylong air drying time. The backing paper is usually “glassine paper,” amaterial which, like the face stock, is available in rolls and acceptsthe silicone layer which is necessary to produce the release effect. Thelaminated combination of glassine paper and cured silicone is referredto as a “release paper.”

The prior art method of manufacturing pressure sensitive adhesive labelsand/or face stock typically involves the step of coating a glassinepaper with silicone and hanging the de-reeled, silicone coated paper ona suitable support to cure.

After this first step, the cured release paper is re-reeled and takenback to the entry point of a second lamination process in which theadhesive is applied. Once again the de-reeled, adhesive coated releasepaper is hung out in the 200 ft. structure to cure. After curing it isre-wound and again subjected to a lamination step to add the printablelabel stock.

After this manufacturing process has been completed, the re-reeledlaminated label stock is provided to a printer who again de-reels thestock to print on the indicia necessary to create a label.

The prior art manufacturing method described has a number of drawbacks.In the first place, the process described above requires a relativelylarge structure with a controlled atmosphere; i.e., adequate systems tocontrol humidity and temperature within the curing structure. Secondly,the prior art method described above requires numerous de-reeling andre-reeling or re-winding steps and multiple lamination steps.

Thirdly, the prior art method described above makes it particularlydifficult to print on the reverse side of the label stock; i.e., theside to which the adhesive is relatively strongly bonded. Wherereverse-side printing is desired, the completed, pressure sensitiveadhesively-backed label stock must be de-laminated and the printing musttypically be applied over the adhesive. This gives rise to blurry, lessdefinite printing and typically requires protection of the printedadhesive through the addition of, for example, UV varnish or UV gluedfilm.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method formanufacturing pressure sensitive adhesive labels or label stock isprovided, which method is simpler and more expeditious to carry out thanthe prior art manufacturing method described above. In particular, themethod of the present invention eliminates the need for multiplelamination passes, long curing times and the associated de-reeling andre-reeling or re-winding steps described above.

In general the method of the present invention is achieved by providinga reel or roll of backing material such as glassine paper, applying afast-curing silicone to the backing material as it is de-reeled, curingthe silicone on-line, applying hot melt adhesive over the curedsilicone, providing a reeled face stock in a size match for the backingpaper, and laminating the face stock to the adhesive-coated releasepaper to form a fully laminated product in what is essentially a singlepass. The laminated product can be made in multiple-label widths, inwhich case it may be slit into single label widths before being removedfor shipment and/or further processing.

In the preferred form hereinafter described in detail, the siliconewhich is used to form the release paper is a photo-cationic siliconewhich cures rapidly when exposed to ultraviolet light. Accordingly thesilicone can be rapidly cured before the adhesive is applied. Furtheraccording to the preferred style of carrying out the inventive method,the adhesive is a commercially available “hot melt” adhesive which isapplied in a carefully controlled thickness and is quickly cooled bywater-cooled rollers and partially re-solidified in or immediately priorto the final lamination step.

One of the numerous advantages which obtains from the inventive methodis the ability to preprint on the reverse side of the face stock beforethe adhesive is applied thereby to eliminate the need for subsequentlyde-laminating the pressure sensitive adhesive label stock at a pointdownstream in the overall manufacturing process. Moreover the preprintedlabel stock is laminated with the adhesive after printing, thuseliminating the likelihood for blurred printing on the reverse side ofthe label stock.

According to a second aspect of the invention, an apparatus is providedfor producing multiple-layer laminated pressure sensitive label stock inwhat is essentially a single pass operation and without the need forcuring substantial lengths of partially laminated material in anatmosphere controlled structure. In general this is achieved byproviding an apparatus which applies a thin layer of photo-cationicsilicone to the interior surface of a backing-paper such as glassinepaper, means for rapidly curing the silicone by exposure to a controlledillumination source, means for applying a controlled layer of hot-meltadhesive to the silicone, and means for laminating a face stock to theadhesive-coated release paper.

In the preferred form the subject apparatus includes a special wavelength discriminating UV reflector, hereinafter called a “dichroic”reflector to control the wave length content of the illumination appliedto the photo-cationic silicone. Similarly the apparatus comprises meansfor applying a carefully thickness-controlled layer of hot melt adhesiveover the cured silicone. Finally the apparatus comprises a pair ofrollers through which the release paper and face stock aresimultaneously passed to form the end product.

Further and additional features and advantages of the method andapparatus inventions will be described in the following detailedspecification which is to be read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional drawing of a self adhesive label stock witha releasable backing manufactured in accordance with the method andapparatus aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a process diagram for a preferred form of the methodinvention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for carrying out themethod of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows an apparatus for manufacturing articles with pressuresensitive adhesive according to the present invention;

FIG. 5A shows a partial view of the silicone application workstation;

FIG. 5B shows a dichroic cavity reflector;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of the doctor blade configuration; and

FIG. 7 shows a partial view of the adhesive and lamination workstations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows in cross section a self-adhesive, releasably backed labelstrip 10 comprising four distinct laminated layers the thicknesses ofwhich are not to scale and are exaggerated in FIG. 1 to assist in theunderstanding of the following description. The laminated structure 10comprises a top most layer of double side face stock 12 suitable forreceiving various types of printing compositions on either or bothopposite surfaces thereof. The face stock 12 is, therefore, pre-printedwith labeling indicia on one or both sides in accordance with thepresent invention.

The structure 10 further comprises a glassine paper layer 14 whichconstitutes a primary component of the releasable backing. The insidesurface of the glassine paper 14 is first coated with a layer 16 ofphoto-cationic silicone to form the second component of what istypically referred to as a “release paper.” A layer 18 of hot meltadhesive is disposed atop the silicone layer 16 and between the siliconelayer and the label stock 12.

The adhesive 18 forms a strong bond with the inside surface of the stock12 whether or not such inside surface is printed, and a relatively weakbond with the cured silicone layer 16. Accordingly, it is possible inuse to separate the combination of the stock 12 and the adhesive 18 fromthe combination of glassine paper 14 and silicone layer 16. Thereafterthe label stock, properly trimmed into individual labels, is ready to beapplied to an application surface such as a plastic detergent bottle.Pressure is applied to the label to create the adhesive bond between thelabel and the application surface through the medium of the adhesivelayer 18.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the basic steps of a preferred and illustrativeprocess for making product 10 will be described. At step 20 a suitableface stock 12 is provided. As shown at 22, the stock 12 may be de-reeledand printed on one or both sides before being laminated to a releasepaper.

Step 24 is to provide the gassine paper 14 in a form suitable forautomated processing in substantial quantities. This is typicallycarried out by providing a roll of glassine paper and mounting the rollon a de-reeling system for further processing as hereinafter described.

Step 26 is the first step in further treatment of the glassine backingpaper 14. This step involves pumping photo-cationic silicone to achambered doctor blade hereinafter described using a peristaltic pump toeliminate foaming. Thereafter step 28 is carried out to coat a porousceramic roller such as an “ANILOX®” roller with a carefully controlledlayer of the silicone material. In this step the layer of siliconematerial is smoothed to ensure that all of the pores of the ANILOX®ceramic roller are filled.

Step 30 is carried out to transfer the silicone material from theANILOX® roller to a coating roller which is preferably a rubber cylinderrunning somewhat faster than the glassine paper and in the oppositedirection to eliminate low spots in the applied silicone.

Step 32 involves the application of the silicone material by the rubbercylinder to the glassine paper 14 at a rate of approximately 1.6 gramsper square meter to form layer 16. The applied coat is smoothed using asmoothing roller which runs approximately 4% slower than the paper.

Step 34 is carried out to immediately cure the applied silicone layer16. As hereinafter described this step is preferably carried out using adichroic filter to apply a balance of ultraviolet and infrared rays tothe silicone material on the glassine paper to cure it prior to thecarrying out of the adhesive application steps hereinafter described.

Step 36 involves the application of a hot melt adhesive layer 18 overthe cured silicone layer 16. This step is preferably carried out using aslot die to apply hot melt adhesive at a rate of approximately 15 gramsper square inch.

At this point the stock 12 provided in step 20 as a first element andthe three-layer release paper consisting of glassine paper 14, curedsilicone layer 16 and hot melt adhesive layer 18 are fed to laminatingrollers to carry out step 38 ofjoining the two elements into the fourlayer laminated product 10 shown in FIG. 1. Step 40, typical ofcommercial application of the present invention, involves slitting thefour layer, laminated self-adhesive label stock with release paper intotwo strips or more or webs and re-winding them on suitable carriers fortransportation to a printing facility or the end user as desired.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an apparatus for carrying out the process ofFIG. 2 is schematically shown. The apparatus of FIG. 3 comprises ade-reeling or un-winding station 42 for the face stock material 12. Theapparatus may include a hoist 44 for raising the roll 42 of labelstock/face stock into the desired position. Thereafter the stock 12 isthreaded to and through a web guiding system 46 and through a series ofin-feed rollers 52 toward the lamination station 48, where the facestock material 12 is joined with the pre-treated backing paper aspreviously described.

The glassine paper 14 is provided on a double-wide roll 50 mounted on ade-reeling or un-winding apparatus below the face stock roll 42. Theglassine paper 14 is threaded through a series of rollers as shown tothe in-feed station 52 and thereafter to the silicone coating head 54where the steps 26, 28, 30 and 32 are carried out. From the siliconecoating head 54 the backing paper proceeds to the curing and post curingstations 56 where a combination of ultraviolet and infrared rays aredirected to the photocationic silicone layer to cure it as describedwith reference to step 34 in FIG. 2. Thereafter the silicone coatedglassine backing paper 14 moves to and through the adhesive coatingstation 58 where the hot melt adhesive is applied. The glassine paper 14with the silicone and adhesive layers 16 and 18 is thereafter moveddirectly to the lamination rollers 48 where it is joined with the labelstock 12 to carry out step 38 of FIG. 2. An out-feed station 60 and dualroll re-winding equipment 62, 64 carry out step 40 as described above.

With reference to FIG. 4, there is shown an apparatus 110 to manufacturelaminated product 10 by processing glassine backing paper 14 and facestock 12 into the laminated product 10. A layer of silicone 16 isapplied at a silicone workstation 112 onto a continuous roll of glassinebacking paper 14 prior to curing the applied layer of silicone 16 todefine the continuous web of release paper 136. The apparatus 110manufactures a web release paper 136 in an upstream silicone workstation112 and then feeds the continuous web of release paper 136 to alamination workstation 48. The silicone workstation 112 includes aperistaltical pump 130 for pressurizing and pumping the silicone 16 froma receptacle 132 holding the silicone 16 to the glassine backing paper14. The Silicone workstation 112 then smears the silicone 16 evenly onthe backing paper 14 after the silicone 16 has been spread with theclose chambered doctor blade 120. A drive roller 126 contacts thebacking paper 14 on the outside surface and the smearing rollers 122 and124 contact the applied layer of silicone 16 on the inside surface whilethe web of release paper 136 is driven forward by the drive roller 126.The silicone is smeared with a silicone coating roller 122 having afaster surface speed than the surface speed of the drive roller 126 anda smoothing roller 124 having a slower surface speed than the surfacespeed of the drive roller 126 so that the applied layer of silicone issmeared evenly on the glassine backing paper 14. The silicone coatingroller 122 and the smoothing roller 124 run at different speeds than thedrive roller 126. Typically, the silicone coating roller 122 rotatesbetween 3% to 5% inclusive faster than the speed of the web 136, and thesmoothing roller 124 rotates between 3% to 5% inclusive slower than thespeed of the web 136. Both the silicone coating roller 122 and thesmoothing roller 124 can rotate in the opposite direction to that of theweb 136. While this differential in rotating speeds has been found toprovide satisfactory smearing of the applied layer of silicone 16 evenlyonto the glassine backing paper 14, it should be recognized that otherspeeds can be used without departing from the disclosure of the presentinvention.

Referring now to FIG. 5A, there is shown a closeup of the siliconeapplication workstation 112. The apparatus 110 uses a close chambereddoctor blade 120 positioned at the silicone application workstation 112for applying a layer of silicone 16 onto an ANILOX® roller 125. Theclose chambered doctor blade 120, best seen in FIG. 6, forms an enclosedchamber that eliminates the foam effect. The silicone enters through thelower part of the doctor blade and exits with the foam from the uppersection of the doctor blade. A first reverse angle blade 121, on thedoctor blade, coats the ANILOX® roller 125 with foamless silicone, thena second reverse angle blade 123 smooths the application to ensure thatevery pore of the ANILOX® roller 125 is properly filled with silicone.The ANILOX® roller 125 in this embodiment is a ceramic 440 line ANILOX®roller. After the ANILOX®0 roller is coated with silicone, the siliconeis transferred to the silicone coating roller 122 which in a preferredembodiment is a rubber cylinder with a hardness of between 30 duros to50 duros inclusive. The silicone coating roller 122 spins in theopposite direction and has a differentiated speed of approximately 3% to5% inclusive faster than the speed of the web, and preferably adifferential speed of 4% faster than the speed of the web 136. Thepreferred embodiment provides for an application of approximately 1.6grams of silicone per square meter (1.6 g/m²). While this quantity ofsilicone has been found to be satisfactory, it should be recognized thatother quantities of silicone can be used without departing from thedisclosure of the present invention. The silicone is applied to thebacking paper while in contact with the silicone coating roller 122. Asmoothing roller 124, as shown in FIG. 5A, completes the siliconespreading process. The smoothing roller 124 has a differential speed ofapproximately 3% to 5% inclusive slower than the speed of the web 136,and preferably a differential speed of 4% slower than the web 136.

Referring back to FIG. 4, the silicone workstation 112 includes at leastone source 128 of ultraviolet light (UV) spaced at a constant distancefrom the release paper 136 for curing the applied layer of silicone 16.The UV curing system in the preferred embodiment is based on acommercially available curing management system with a dichroic cavityreflector, identified as model number CMS VTI DCR6, from VTI-IdealquarzCompany of Milan, Italy. The commercially available curing managementsystem is modified according to the present invention to provide a UVreflector specifically conceived for curing silicone during continuousprocessing applications. A dichroic cavity reflector 160, as shown inFIG. 5B, has been modified from the production standard model CMS VTIDCR6 in order to allow the proper quantity of infrared rays to reach thesubstratum. The reflector comprises an aluminum reflector body 161 theparabolic interior surface of which is covered by a dichroic mirror 163normally finished to reflect 98% of ultraviolet radiation and absorb 85%of infrared radiation from lamp 165. We have found that conventionaldichroic reflectors used to disburse infrared radiant heat are too coldto properly cure the silicone. On the other hand, more commonly usedaluminum reflectors provide too much heat, i.e. too many infrared raysreach the layer of silicone for proper curing. In order to obtain asatisfactory combination, the parabola that supports the dichroic mirror163 in the reflector body 161 is made of non-finished aluminum. Thesilver color is more reflective than the standard black or dark graycolors normally found in dichroic systems. This dichroic reflectorallows infrared rays to pass through while an appropriate amount of UVrays are reflected. Between 5% and 15% of the total wavelengths ofinfrared radiation, in addition to direct radiation from the lamp, arereflected back toward the photo-cationic silicone. The parabola is,therefore, a break for infrared rays allowing the necessary amount of UVand infrared rays to reach the photo-cationic silicone for curing.

Following the curing step, the layer of silicone 16 is provided with apredetermined amount of dwell time prior to the application of theadhesive 18. The dwell time can provided by using a plurality of idlerrollers 138. The idler rollers 138 provide for a serpentine path oftravel between the silicone workstation 112 and the adhesive workstation58 where the adhesive 18 is applied. The dwell time can be modifiedbased on the requirements of the applied layer of silicone 16 to curesufficiently by modifying the number of idler rollers 138 placed in thepath of the web of release paper 136. For this particular applicationusing hot melt adhesive, approximately 2.5 seconds of dwell time ispreferred after the applied layer of silicone 16 goes through the curingprocess.

The lamination 48 and adhesive workstations 58 are shown in context ofthe entire apparatus in FIG. 4 and shown in a close-up view in FIG. 7.The adhesive workstation includes a slot die 140 adjustably supportedfrom a frame. An adhesive coating head kickoff 139 and a stopper 141 areused to adjust the slot die holder 143 to locate the slot die 140 in theproper angular, radial, and lateral position relative to a longitudinalaxis of a cooling roller 144. The release paper 136 and the face stock12 are laminated together while passing between the cooling rubberroller 144 and the lamination roller 142. The slot die 140 appliesadhesive 18 to the release paper 136 at an adhesive workstation 58 priorto entering the lamination workstation 48. A continuous strip of facestock 12 and the web of release paper 136 are laminated together withadhesive 18 at the lamination workstation 48. The hot melt adhesive 18is conducted to the slot die through a heating hose from the adhesivedistribution station where the adhesive is melted. From the slot die140, approximately fifteen grams of adhesive per square meter (15 g/m²)are applied to the release paper 136. While this quantity of adhesivehas been found to be satisfactory, it should be recognized that otherquantities of adhesive can be used without departing from the disclosureof the present invention. The adhesive coating head kickoff 139 allowsthe slot die to be moved forward and backward with respect to therelease paper for adjustment of the desired thickness with suitablefasteners such as releasable screws, bolts, and nuts. The slot dieholder and the adjustment system 143 allows the angle and theparallelism of the slot die to be adjusted relative to a first coolingroller 144 by releasing the appropriate fastener, repositioning theholder into the desired position, and reattaching the fastener tomaintain the holder in the new desired position. Placing the slot die ata one degree (1°) angle has been found to give the smoothest coatingresult in the preferred embodiment. More precise micro-metricadjustments can be made to the slot die holder 143 with a stopper 141held in place with suitable fasteners such as releasable screws, bolts,and nuts.

In order to apply hot melt adhesive to transparent film, a differentslot die with a rotating cylindrical rod is typically used. The slot dieprovides a more even application as a result of the rotating rod. Theface stock 12 in this embodiment can be preprinted on the insidesurface, the outside surface, or both surfaces for application aspressure sensitive labels. Alternatively, or additionally, the facestock can be printed just prior to entering the lamination workstation.

The hot melt adhesive will transmit heat into the release paper 136 andinto the laminated product 10. The release paper 136 and subsequentlythe laminated product 10 can be cooled down at a cooling workstation116. The cooling workstation 116 cools the release paper 136 after thehot melt adhesive is applied, with the first cooling roller 144 and thencools the laminated product 10 with a second cooling roller 146. Thefirst roller 144 has an internal passage for receiving a continuousstream of coolant. The first roller 144 is located downstream of theadhesive workstation 58 for cooling the release paper 136. The facestock and the release paper are laminated together as the two strips orwebs are passed between the first cooling roller 144 and a laminationroller 142. Both rollers have exactly the same diameter and width toavoid a curling effect. Lamination occurs immediately after theapplication of the hot melt adhesive since the release paper coated withadhesive cannot engage with other idler rollers uncovered and thedesired temperature for lamination of the hot melt adhesive is atemperature achieved after being cooled by the rubber roller but whilestill warm enough for good lamination. Once both layers have beenlaminated together, the web engages a second cooling roller 146 tocomplete the lamination of the laminated product 10. The second roller146 also includes an internal passage for receiving a continuous streamof coolant. The second roller 146 is located downstream of thelamination workstation 48 for cooling the final laminated product 10.The product can then be slit or cut into multiple separate webs toobtain material with a narrower width. After cutting into the desiredwidths, the final product is rewound into a roll.

The cooling workstation 116 includes a pump 150 for pumping thecontinuous stream of coolant through the first cooling roller 144 andthe second cooling roller 146. A heat exchanger 152 removes heat fromthe coolant after passing through the cooling rollers. Following thecooling process, the laminated product 10 is wound on a final roll andis ready for processing or storage. The laminated product roll can beremoved and cut to proper size so that the face stock 12 can be peeledfrom the release paper and will retain the adhesive on the insidesurface for attaching to an end product. The apparatus can be equippedwith an in-line rotary die-cutter to obtain final labels in one simpleoperation.

Using the present invention, the label manufacturers print the facestock and produce the laminated product with the apparatus described inthe preferred embodiment instead of buying the prefabricated laminatedproduct and subsequently printing on the face stock. An additionalbenefit is achieved with the present invention when the clear face stockis printed on the reverse surface prior to lamination because the printis then protected by the clear face stock. When the face stock isdelaminated and applied to a container, the print is protected with theclear film, eliminating the requirement of protection with an additionalpressure sensitive film, UV varnish, or UV glued film.

Savings on the raw material start at thirty percent and can go up to90%. Furthermore, savings are generated by a reduction of waste due tothe fact that only face stock is being processed through the printingpress. There are no limitations on printing methods. The choice ofprinting methods can be digital, flexo-graphic, offset, letterpress,silk screen, etc. and can convert custom materials into a final label.Furthermore, speed limitations on presses are eliminated since the diecutting operation is transferred to the apparatus rather than on thepresses as found in the prior art.

The present invention using the above-mentioned apparatus allows anoperator to create standard applications, multiple layer applications,or complex applications. Standard applications include any kind of facestock: semigloss, thermal direct, Kromecote, PP, PE, PET, carton,metallized papers, etc. The standard application includes backingmaterials which can include glassine paper or film. The multiple layerapplications include piggyback, back-to-back, dry peel piggyback and drypeel cards, coupon labels, and booklets and leaflets. The complexapplications include film labels with reverse printing, no label look,no label touch, pressure sensitive shrink sleeves, electronic chips andspiral antennas insertion for RF/ID, labels with detachable parts,scratch off and reveal, embossed, Braille and tactile labels, andfragrance or scratch'n'sniff labels.

While the invention has been described in connection with what ispresently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment,it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedisclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover variousmodifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit andscope of the appended claims, which scope is to be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalentstructures as is permitted under the law.

1. A method of making a continuous strip of laminated printed adhesivelabels comprising the steps of: dereeling a strip of release stock intoa first in-feed location in a stock-processing machine having aplurality of spaced-apart workstations to receive and process movingstrip stock; at a first workstation, applying a layer of curablesilicone to one surface of the dereeled and in-fed release stock; at asecond workstation, fast-curing the layer of curable silicone; at athird workstation, applying a hot melt adhesive to the cured siliconelayer on the dereeled strip of release stock; at least partiallysolidifying the adhesive by cooling over a first cooled roller; feedinginto a second in-feed location separate from the first in-feed locationa strip of size-matched, preprinted label stock; and at a fourthworkstation, laminating the label stock strip to the release stock withthe printed side of the label stock against and in direct contact withthe adhesive; wherein the step of applying the silicone is carried outwith the use of a rubber coating roller that runs with a surface speedfaster than the surface speed of the release stock at the point ofapplication and a smoothing roller which runs at a surface speed slowerthan the surface speed of the release stock at the point of application.2. The method of claim 1 including the further step of cooling thelaminated label stocks using a second cooled roller located downstreamof the first cooled roller in the direction of stock movement.
 3. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the step of applying the silicone includes thesubsteps of transferring silicone onto an Anilox roller, thereaftertransferring the silicone onto said rubber coating roller and thereafterapplying the silicone to the release stock.
 4. The method of claim 1wherein the step of curing the silicone is carried out photometricallyusing UV radiation.
 5. The method of claim 4 wherein the step of curingis carried out with the use of a dichroic reflector.
 6. The method ofclaim 1 wherein the printing on the label stock is on the side whichcontacts the adhesive layer in the fourth station lamination step.